I recently had a social media fast. For three days I had no Facebook and no Twitter. It was an opportunity to assess my relationship with social media and also think about how to 'use' social media in church, or even if should we use social media at all. My guide through the fast was a book called 'Detox Yourself' by Kyle Tennant who explored social media as part of his studies. He basically says Facebook is fine up to a point. It can be voyeuristic and does not build relationships in an authentic way. The only way to build an authentic relationship is physically with other people. It's that I'm not sure of.
As a pastor I have had to go to homes and nursing homes and see people who are shut in and can't get to church. Baptist churches have a tendency to focus upon the gathering on a Sunday morning. If you're not there then you're not there. Which is fine until you can't be there anymore. What then? Are you no longer a 'real' part of the church because you can't be there on a Sunday? How often are those people simply forgotten about after a period of time? The question I ask myself is, what does it mean to be present with someone and do I need to be physically in their presence to have an authentic relationship with them?
Thinking about my devotional life. I have never met Jesus for a coffee, I don't think you have either. I have never been round to see him and I've never shook his hand. But I still think I have an authentic relationship with him. I do the same things you do. I pray, I meditate, I read my bible and I know that Jesus is real to me. I know with everything I am that Jesus is real. But I've never physically been in his presence.
At the risk of not comparing like with like it can't be enough to say that for an authentic relationship I have to be in someone's presence. Why can't an online gaming community or even Facebook be an authentic experience? I think it's do with how we're conditioned. We are conditioned into thinking physical presence matters at the expense of all else. I would say that we can't live our whole lives behind a screen after all the species would die out. But for that philosophy and society will eventually become multi-layered in its relationships. We will have an online presence and a physical one and eventually the avatar will be as important as our physical body. A lot more work needs to be done on this but from a pastoral perspective the possibilities are endless.
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Getting back into things
It's Christmas Eve morning. Simon is upstairs playing on the CBBC website, he'll have to get dressed soon because we need to go to Asda. I know only a fool goes to Asda on Christmas Eve but I have nothing in for lunch and I can't have us going hungry. I'm typing this while Monday Night Football is on the TV in the background. Not the turgid Arsenal/Chelsea game from last night, proper Monday Night Football, San Francisco hosting the Falcons. I often write sermons or catch up on correspondence with NFL in the background. The nature of the sport is that it is largely slow with moments of excitement. So in that sense I can multi-task, indeed I am the multi-tasking master (stop laughing).
Tonight is going to be an unusual night. I'm going back to Rugby Baptist Church for the first time since I left in September. I haven't been back much to the annoyance of some in the congregation but it is how things are done. It will be good to see the place again but it is a one off. I'm looking ahead to discovering where God wants me to go. I genuinely have no idea. I am finding it hard to 'trust in God and everything will be fine'. That kind of thinking has always bothered me for some reason. The relationship between God and His people has always been complicated. Saying 'everything will be fine' is a source of comfort and provides hope but it is not an easy thing. Besides it's usually said by people where everything for them is fine so what do they know anyway?
I am very much enjoying worshipping in the church I'm currently going to. They are absolutely fantastic and have even got me preaching to keep my hand in. So, maybe, things will be fine because there are signs that life is sorting itself out. For them I am grateful. To God I am grateful. Because of Nicola and Simon I am blessed. Merry Christmas.
PS This little lull in life has given me the opportunity to do some reading and writing. Ministers don't often get to stop and pray and think so this enforced pause is doing me the world of good.
Tonight is going to be an unusual night. I'm going back to Rugby Baptist Church for the first time since I left in September. I haven't been back much to the annoyance of some in the congregation but it is how things are done. It will be good to see the place again but it is a one off. I'm looking ahead to discovering where God wants me to go. I genuinely have no idea. I am finding it hard to 'trust in God and everything will be fine'. That kind of thinking has always bothered me for some reason. The relationship between God and His people has always been complicated. Saying 'everything will be fine' is a source of comfort and provides hope but it is not an easy thing. Besides it's usually said by people where everything for them is fine so what do they know anyway?
I am very much enjoying worshipping in the church I'm currently going to. They are absolutely fantastic and have even got me preaching to keep my hand in. So, maybe, things will be fine because there are signs that life is sorting itself out. For them I am grateful. To God I am grateful. Because of Nicola and Simon I am blessed. Merry Christmas.
PS This little lull in life has given me the opportunity to do some reading and writing. Ministers don't often get to stop and pray and think so this enforced pause is doing me the world of good.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Minister: What you do or who you are?
The Jobcentre is not how you imagine it. You probably have an image of wee cards on boards and taking a card to a bloke to get a form. Depressing decor and a sense of hopelessness. But no. The Jobcentre has gone upmarket. There are computer terminals and wi-fi these days. Not a card in sight. The office is now open plan and is meant, I think, to be a welcoming, supportive place. I went for an in depth interview with my Jobs Adviser. I like to call it the 'buck up your ideas' interview. I had to explain why I'm not getting job interviews. How am I supposed to know? Why don't you ask the agencies? We went through my cv which has to be completely rewritten despite being told at my previous 'buck up your ideas' interview that it was a really good cv. Throughout the process it was made clear that my benefits could stop at the touch of a button and there's nothing I can do about it. Generally I do feel supported by the Jobcentre but it's obvious they're trying to catch you out as well as support you to get you off Jobseekers Allowance. You leave the Jobcentre in no doubt that you are unemployed. I never leave there uplifted, I can't believe anyone does. It's an awful place to be. Even more so for the poor soul I was talking to trying to claim the new Universal Credit. What a mess that is.
So I went from that to renewing my car insurance. I was asked to check my details. Under employment it says 'Baptist minister'. That got me thinking, and through Facebook responses some other people thinking as well. I am claiming JSA so by definition I am unemployed. But I'm seeking a new ministry and I am a nationally recognised minister. So, am I always a minister? Is a minister who I am or is it what I do? I went back and had a look at my ordination vows which really lie at the crux of this. The ordination 'is that act in which the church, both the local and the wider church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, publicly recognises and confirms a person's call to pastoral ministry.' That says to me that once ordained I will always be a minister. But there are parts of the vows that at the moment I am unable to do. Watching over the flock with humility and patience etc. I can't do that if I'm working in an office job full time. I think I can fulfil a lot of the vows whilst between ministries but there are some that I cannot. Then again, having read them carefully last night I think there are parts of those vows that military chaplains can't fulfil at times so maybe it's easier to think of myself as a Baptist minister for the time being and know that even if it's not what I'm doing today, it is what I am all the time.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Freedom!!!!
I want to share my thoughts on Scottish Independence. For a more overtly theological take on this I heartily recommend http://politurgy.typepad.com/ written by Stuart Blythe, Scottish Baptist and radical thinker.
I look on the whole independence issue with interest. I don't get a vote so I don't really have a say, but I do keep up to date with English media which gives me a sense of detachment up to a point. After all my son and I can become Scottish citizens automatically whilst my wife can't so there is a bit of bemusement as well.
The question isn't 'can Scotland survive outside the Union?' Of course it can, Scotland has great people and great resources. Scotland can function outside the Union. The question is, should Scotland go it alone? That's a different question and actually very similar to the debate around the Euro back in the 1990's.
There are two major issues for me surrounding Scottish independence. Fiscal relationships and Federal relationships. The two are very closely linked of course. What the Scottish people are being asked is this question, 'do you want a close relationship with England, Wales and Northern Ireland or would you like a closer relationship with Europe as a full member of the European Union?'
The Federal relationship within the United Kingdom is obviously the status quo. But the problem I have is I am hearing nothing from the No campaign that is positive about the Union. What is so good about the Union? The No campaign are basically saying, the Union is great and we are better together. How exactly? What is the Union for in the 21st century? I want to hear more positivity from the No campaign instead of the constant negative reactions to anything the Yes campaign has to say. Scotland can go it alone, that is not in question, I need to hear why Scotland should not in a positive way, upsell the Union as it were.
The currency is a classic example. Total negativity from the No campaign. Scotland can't keep the pound. Why not? It belongs to Scotland as much as it belongs to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But, what is so great about the pound? The No campaign are yet to be tell us. Personally I think an independent Scotland should join the Euro and cut the ties and show it's a grown up nation within Europe. It doesn't actually matter whether Scotland keeps the pound or joins the Euro, the major decisions on interest rates and other important fiscal matters will be taken either in London or Frankfurt so I don't think it really matters at all.
What does matter is Europe itself. If the people of Scotland vote No next year they could find themselves outside the EU in 2017 after the proposed EU referendum. England will basically decide in 2017 for the rest of the UK if Europe is a good thing or not. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland even if they have a positive vote towards Europe it will be outweighed if England votes no. Will the people of Scotland accept such a jingoistic response from England? Well, there is a chance to take the English view away altogether for Scotland next year.
So in conclusion does the UK Federation offer something positive? Who knows, the No campaign are simply telling us everything in the UK is great. But Europe is becoming ever more important and that relationship really does matter a great deal to a small country like Scotland. I don't have a vote, so I don't have a say. But as a student of Scottish history I can say starting the Union served Scotland well back in the late 1600's after the Darien fiasco. But until I see more positivity from the No campaign about why the Union is a good thing it's time for Scotland to go it alone and be more European whilst being unable to blame the English for everything anymore. Independence would be good for Scotland and good for the rest of the UK as well.
I look on the whole independence issue with interest. I don't get a vote so I don't really have a say, but I do keep up to date with English media which gives me a sense of detachment up to a point. After all my son and I can become Scottish citizens automatically whilst my wife can't so there is a bit of bemusement as well.
The question isn't 'can Scotland survive outside the Union?' Of course it can, Scotland has great people and great resources. Scotland can function outside the Union. The question is, should Scotland go it alone? That's a different question and actually very similar to the debate around the Euro back in the 1990's.
There are two major issues for me surrounding Scottish independence. Fiscal relationships and Federal relationships. The two are very closely linked of course. What the Scottish people are being asked is this question, 'do you want a close relationship with England, Wales and Northern Ireland or would you like a closer relationship with Europe as a full member of the European Union?'
The Federal relationship within the United Kingdom is obviously the status quo. But the problem I have is I am hearing nothing from the No campaign that is positive about the Union. What is so good about the Union? The No campaign are basically saying, the Union is great and we are better together. How exactly? What is the Union for in the 21st century? I want to hear more positivity from the No campaign instead of the constant negative reactions to anything the Yes campaign has to say. Scotland can go it alone, that is not in question, I need to hear why Scotland should not in a positive way, upsell the Union as it were.
The currency is a classic example. Total negativity from the No campaign. Scotland can't keep the pound. Why not? It belongs to Scotland as much as it belongs to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But, what is so great about the pound? The No campaign are yet to be tell us. Personally I think an independent Scotland should join the Euro and cut the ties and show it's a grown up nation within Europe. It doesn't actually matter whether Scotland keeps the pound or joins the Euro, the major decisions on interest rates and other important fiscal matters will be taken either in London or Frankfurt so I don't think it really matters at all.
What does matter is Europe itself. If the people of Scotland vote No next year they could find themselves outside the EU in 2017 after the proposed EU referendum. England will basically decide in 2017 for the rest of the UK if Europe is a good thing or not. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland even if they have a positive vote towards Europe it will be outweighed if England votes no. Will the people of Scotland accept such a jingoistic response from England? Well, there is a chance to take the English view away altogether for Scotland next year.
So in conclusion does the UK Federation offer something positive? Who knows, the No campaign are simply telling us everything in the UK is great. But Europe is becoming ever more important and that relationship really does matter a great deal to a small country like Scotland. I don't have a vote, so I don't have a say. But as a student of Scottish history I can say starting the Union served Scotland well back in the late 1600's after the Darien fiasco. But until I see more positivity from the No campaign about why the Union is a good thing it's time for Scotland to go it alone and be more European whilst being unable to blame the English for everything anymore. Independence would be good for Scotland and good for the rest of the UK as well.
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
A Strange Place to Be
The main reason for starting this thing is to share some of my current experience in the hope it helps the reader in some way. I am in the unusual position in that I am unemployed Baptist minister. Out of church, out of work, Jobseekers Allowance, signing on, registering with agencies, the whole thing. I know that I'm not the only minister out of pastorate but I think I'm a little bit unique in that I had no prep time at all. Normally if a minister has to leave a church there is a period of notice to allow preparation and if the system works there is a short transition to the next ministry. Churches are normally required to give six months notice to a minister (certainly in the Baptist church) to allow that to happen. Now I have to say that it was my choice to leave my church. I thought I was following what was clearly a call from God to go into military chaplaincy. It turns out that was not the case and I found myself leaving training and trying to work out what this is all about.
I am now, three weeks later, getting over the shock and I'm now in a position to actually do some proper thinking about this situation. There are questions... why did the military seem like such a good idea? Was it my idea or God's idea? Am I being punished now for leaving my church? How on earth are we going to survive financially if I can't get a job? I might get answers to these, I might not. I am very down at the moment, I feel like I've failed and failed badly. I also feel I've let down a lot of people, not least my family. But instead of being melodramatic I'm trying now to be positive and I've learned a couple of things already.
1. I have a lot of pride, I hate failing and relying on others. Maybe I need to change my attitude. This is an opportunity to become a better person and rely more fully on God and my own abilities.
2. I am very grateful for people who are supportive. I'm actually avoiding a lot of people at the moment (see comment above) but I hope it gets better.
I am now, three weeks later, getting over the shock and I'm now in a position to actually do some proper thinking about this situation. There are questions... why did the military seem like such a good idea? Was it my idea or God's idea? Am I being punished now for leaving my church? How on earth are we going to survive financially if I can't get a job? I might get answers to these, I might not. I am very down at the moment, I feel like I've failed and failed badly. I also feel I've let down a lot of people, not least my family. But instead of being melodramatic I'm trying now to be positive and I've learned a couple of things already.
1. I have a lot of pride, I hate failing and relying on others. Maybe I need to change my attitude. This is an opportunity to become a better person and rely more fully on God and my own abilities.
2. I am very grateful for people who are supportive. I'm actually avoiding a lot of people at the moment (see comment above) but I hope it gets better.
First Post
Hello, thank you for stopping by. I was thinking today that I aspire to be a 'thought leader'. I have no idea what it is or how you apply for it but it sounds really cool. So I thought today would be a good day to start a blog. I'm going through a bizarre time in my life (NB, whenever you see 'I' or 'me' I really mean to include my immediate family, my life affects theirs) and I thought that my experience now would be helpful to anyone who might be going through the same or fears they might have to in the future. I will at times in this blog also talk about the NFL and rugby union. And F1. Beer too. I always welcome feedback so do feel free to do so. If you have questions my door is always open and sometimes my ears are too.
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